


The Art of Tea Brewing

by inkbetweenthekeys



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Because They Deserve To Be Happy, Coffee Shops, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28836240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkbetweenthekeys/pseuds/inkbetweenthekeys
Summary: Erwin is a part-time worker at a small coffee shop. A grumpy customer asking for tea instead of coffee captures his attention.
Relationships: Levi & Erwin Smith, Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 18
Kudos: 173





	The Art of Tea Brewing

**Author's Note:**

> Rated teen and up for some strong language.

Erwin tapped his fingers idly against the tabletop. The small coffee shop was starting to empty out, after all the workers who had bustled in during rush hour to grab a burst of caffeine began their commute home. Through the windows looking out onto the high street, the dying rays of the sun licked gently across the floor of the cafe. Daylight hours were slowly stretching back as the leaves fell from the trees, and Erwin enjoyed the sight of customers stepping out of the door and shimmering in the late golden haze as they went to travel their various ways. One of the best ways to make a shift pass quickly was to guess at where each customer was headed. Scanning the room, he decided the elderly man sitting by himself in the corner, wrapped in a heavy coat, had travelled a long way, perhaps to visit an old friend that he had not seen in many years. The young women laughing together around a small table, were regular customers. Maybe they were part of a book club, Erwin wondered, considering the pen shoved through one of the woman’s messy bun and the loud thump her bag had made when she set it down earlier. That was the delight though in this game. There were endless possibilities, some happy, some gloomy, some that he could never accurately guess in a million years.

Mike, who was beside him cleaning out the coffee machine, noticed Erwin’s eyes wandering and snorted. He and Erwin had been on the evening shift together for a few months now, and he was wise to Erwin’s habit of people watching. Sometimes, on particularly quiet shifts, he would join in, though most of his theories somehow ended in the customers being escaped convicts. On one embarrassing and highly memorable occasion, he had actually dared to go up to an unsuspecting customer and sniffed his hair, claiming he smelt like sewage pipes and must have pulled a Shawshank. Erwin had just thanked their lucky stars the shop owner, Pyxis, had been absent from witnessing that particular highlight of customer service.

The door clicked open, and Erwin snapped out of the memory to put on a cheerful smile. “Hi there, what can I get for you today?” Then he recognised who had just stepped inside, and his smile widened. “Hange!”

“Heya, Erwin!” replied Hange, one of his regulars who was never too tired after a day's work to stop and chat. “Busy evening?”

“You just missed the rush,” Erwin told them, nodding towards the slowly emptying tables. “Still got a couple of hours left though.”

Hange nodded. “Keep up the good work, soldier” they winked. “I’ll have my regular.”

Mike had been listening, and, familiar with Hange’s order, went to grab a mug while Erwin began to ring them up at the till. 

“Hang on a second,” Hange said, turning around. “Levi, what do you want? It’s on me.”

Erwin blinked, and looked past Hange. He hadn’t even noticed the shorter man behind Hange at first, though now he did see him it was hard to look at anything else. The man had striking black hair, hanging slightly into his grey eyes. His arms were folded across his chest and his chin was tilted up at a haughty angle, as his eyes darted around the cafe. Erwin noticed a stain on the counter from where a customer had accidentally slopped their drink earlier, and suppressed the instinct to hastily rub it away with the corner of his apron.

“Tea. No sugar, a dash of milk,” Levi said, not looking at Erwin but still skimming a distasteful gaze round the cafe. Erwin began to feel a little defensive. The cafe was a little messy, so what? He had always believed a friendly atmosphere was worth more than a perfectly tidy room. If chatting with customers meant a few used cups lingered on tables too long or some crumbs stuck to the floor, then what of it?

“Sorry - this is a coffee shop, we don’t serve tea,” Erwin told him. Levi’s eyes stopped glaring at a mark on the wall, and snapped to Erwin.

“Why not?” he demanded. Despite the man’s short stature, the force of his gaze was intimidating enough that Erwin had to check his instinct to take a step back. “Tea, coffee, why only serve one? It’s not like tea is difficult to make.”

“I’m afraid you’d have to take that up with the owner, not me,” said Erwin, in his most polite customer service voice.

“Aw, c’mon Levi!” said Hange, slinging an arm around his shoulders, earning themself a glare. “The coffee here is great, and you’ve been drinking tea all day at work anyway.” Ah, so they were coworkers, Erwin noted. It made sense. He couldn’t see why upbeat, affable Hange would be with this grumpy man otherwise.

“Tch,” Levi sighed. “I’ll take the same as Hange then.” He wriggled out of Hange’s arm and walked over to the tables, peering at them all with a frown until he finally found one he judged clean enough to sit at. Erwin flushed a little as he took Hange’s money and resolved to get the mop out of the back cupboard as soon as Levi left.

“Don’t mind him, Erwin,” said Hange, accurately sensing his discomfort as they waited for Mike to finish up the drinks. “He’s like that with everyone.”

“Then why are you hanging out with him outside of office hours?” Erwin asked.

“Well, he’s not so bad once you get to know him,” said Hange cheerily. “He’s secretly a big softie at heart.” Erwin sneaked a glance over at Levi. He was sitting with his legs crossed, head tilted back thoughtfully towards the ceiling. Perhaps he felt Erwin’s gaze on him, because he suddenly looked over to the counter. Their eyes met for a brief second and Erwin hastily turned away, pretending to busy himself stacking plates. How embarrassing! He heard Hange’s thanks as Mike handed their drinks over, and then the tap tap of their boots as they moved away to sit down with Levi.

“What do you think of that guy?” Mike nudged Erwin’s shoulder. “Angry short person syndrome?” Erwin let out a reluctant chuckle and risked a glance over his shoulder. Levi sat sipping his coffee with a disgusted look on his face whilst Hange was busy carrying all the conversation. However, Erwin noted that he seemed to be listening to Hange attentively and a small smile even tugged at the man’s lips for a brief moment as Hange waved their hands about excitedly, although it was quickly replaced by a grimace as he took another sip from his mug.

Not wanting to spend his whole shift spying on Hange and their friend, Erwin went into the back cupboard to find a cloth and some anti-bacterial spray. He then walked back over to the counter and started work on eradicating the suspicious coffee stains. With a nudge of guilt he realised some of the stains had probably been there for some time; they were proving pretty difficult to remove. Not that that was entirely his fault of course. Mike certainly never bothered to clean, and he doubted the people who worked the morning shift did either.

He was distracted from his task by the gentle clink against the counter. Looking up, he saw Levi had brought the now empty mugs over from his table. “Oh, you didn’t need to do that,” said Erwin in surprise. Most customers just left rubbish scattered across their tables and hitched it out of there.

Levi raised an eyebrow. “If I didn’t, how long would it be before the mess got cleaned up?”

Erwin could feel himself going red. “You came in just after the rush. I haven’t had time to clear up yet, with all the orders coming through.”

“Hmm,” said Levi, looking round the cafe which had mostly emptied out by now.

“Well, thanks for bringing over the mugs,” muttered Erwin, setting them aside and then going back to scrubbing at the counter. Levi hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the door where Hange was waiting. Erwin didn’t look up again until he heard the door click shut after them, then heaved a sigh of relief. He had put up with hundreds of impolite customers before, so what was it about Levi that had managed to get under his skin with just a few words and a judgemental look or two? Maybe it was because most of those annoying customers were self-entitled middle aged people Erwin mused, not attractive men with hair a little too long and eyes that stared into your soul. Though Erwin generally judged himself to be a confident person, when he was around a hot guy he tended to overthink his every action. Oh well - though Levi was good-looking, he certainly wasn’t a guy Erwin would go for, with an attitude like that. Hopefully Hange would come for coffee by themself in the future.

***

Two weeks had passed, and though Hange had returned for coffee several times, there had been no sign of the grumpy man. Though Erwin was relieved, he also felt slightly annoyed. He had done a thorough clean of the whole shop and had been keeping it spick and span for the ensuing weeks. Mike hadn’t realised what had prompted the change, but made fun of Erwin for it anyway, suggesting he had realised his true role as a tidy little housewife. Erwin desperately wanted Levi to come again, just so his effort in proving that the cafe wasn’t a complete shithole wouldn’t go to waste.

He stared absently at the clock on the wall. It was half past eight - only an hour and a half until the end of his shift. It would be a late night though, considering how far behind he was on his assignments for college. Erwin winced at the thought of the stack of papers on his desk waiting to be read. He had better bring a coffee home with him if he intended to make it through all of them.

“Well, this place looks better,” said a surprised voice. Erwin jumped up and almost jumped again when he realised who was in front of him. Levi - hair windswept, alone this time, looking speculatively around the cafe.

“I told you, last time you came was after the rush,” said Erwin, putting on his best nonchalant air and trying not to act smug at the praise. “What can I get for you? I was under the impression that our coffee was disgusting.” Crap - he shouldn’t take an attitude with a customer!

Levi ran a hand through his hair to push it out of his eyes, and Erwin tried to ignore the butterflies the act sent through him. Seriously, why did such an annoying guy like this have to be blessed with such looks?

“The tea machine at work is broken, and I need caffeine from somewhere,” said Levi. Erwin was sure there were plenty of places that served tea in the area, but didn’t bother to say so. A paying customer was a paying customer, after all. “Plus, I’m hungry.” He looked over the display of cakes curiously. “I’ll take that,” he decided, pointing at a cinnamon swirl.

Erwin used a pair of tongs to pick up a swirl. “Eat in or takeaway?” he asked.

“I’ll eat in,” Levi said, “Seeing as this place is less of a health and safety hazard now.”

“And to drink?” said Erwin, as coldly as possible after that insult.

“Whatever coffee is cheapest,” said Levi, tossing some coins onto the counter, before picking up the plate which Erwin had deposited the swirl on and making his way to the same table as last time.

Once the coffee was ready, Erwin brought it over to the table. “Here, Levi. Enjoy,” he said, setting it down and moving to go back to the till.

“You remembered my name?” he heard Levi say, and turned back round to see the man give him a curious look.

“Well, you have to remember people at a place like this,” mumbled Erwin, “Get on friendly terms with customers and all.” Usually it took more than a few visits before he began to recognise a customer, but he couldn’t let onto the fact that Levi had constantly been on his mind the past couple of weeks. It was only because he wanted Levi to know he was wrong about the cafe, he told himself. There was no other reason. Certainly nothing to do with those grey eyes now staring at him.

“You seem to care a lot about this place for a part timer,’ said Levi, taking a hesitant sip of his coffee and then immediately setting it back down, repulsed.

“How do you know I’m a part-time worker?” asked Erwin.

Levi stared fixedly at the coffee. “I came by the other day, in the morning. But you weren’t here then. You look young - a college student, I guess? So I assumed this is just a side gig for you.”

Erwin felt slightly offended at being called young, especially by a guy who seemed a few years older than him at most. But Levi had guessed correctly. With a thrill he realised that maybe he had been on Levi’s mind just as much as Levi had been on his. Then he cursed himself for getting excited - he didn’t like Levi! Not at all!

“Well, yeah. I’m a part-timer,” he said. “But why should that mean I don’t care about this place?”

Levi shrugged, and took a bite out of his cinnamon swirl. Erwin had already lingered too long, so headed back to the counter, desperate to escape his confused thoughts. One the one hand, Levi was grumpy, rude, insulting. On the other hand, there was something intriguing about him, more than his good looks. Erwin let out a sigh. He was always the same, falling head over heels for any attractive guy who spared him a glance, no matter if they treated him like shit. Not this time! So maybe he fancied Levi a bit, but that was all, that was all it would remain. He had only met the man twice for crying out loud. There was no reason to dwell so heavily on it. As he served the next customer, he missed the contemplative look Levi threw over his shoulder at him as he got up to leave.

***

“Erwin,” called a cheerful voice.

“Hey Hange,” said Erwin, smiling at the familiar face. “How are you today? You want the usual?”

“The usual, times two,” said Hange, holding up two fingers.

“Oh, is Levi here?” said Erwin, looking past her, but there was no sight of the dark-haired man.

“No, I got the afternoon off work so I thought I would grab the opportunity to have a hot date with a pretty little brunette I met the other day,” Hange winked. “But what’s all this about Levi?” As usual, Hange didn’t miss a thing.

“Oh, well the last time you came here with someone else, it was him,” said Erwin. “Was...that a date too?” he asked, remembering the way Levi had smiled at Hange. He felt his stomach sinking.

“A date with Levi?” Hange exclaimed, eyes bulging. “Christ, no!” They started laughing, tossing their hair out of their face. “Levi and I go way back, but we would never be more than friends. So no need to worry.”

“Why would I be worried?” said Erwin, trying to act like he didn’t care in the slightest about this current path of conversation. Yes, why indeed, were there butterflies crawling around his stomach at this very moment?

Hange gave him a knowing look. “I think the real question here is why Levi asked me if I knew what days you worked.”

Erwin could feel a blush creeping across his face. This did not go unnoticed unfortunately, and Hange let out a satisfied smirk. “I’ll tell him Tuesday to Saturday then, shall I?” Before Erwin could muster up a reply, the door clicked open. “There’s my date!” said Hange, turning around with a wide smile. “See you later Erwin!” They grabbed the pair of coffees and dashed excitedly towards the cute girl waiting by the door.

So Levi had been asking about him? The thought did nothing to quell the nerves inside him. Well, he supposed, if there was a chance of Levi returning, he had better get the mop out again.

***

Mike scowled at Erwin as he halfheartedly swished a mop across the floor. Erwin had decided that the cafe needed to focus on maintaining hygiene standards, and, much to Mike’s disgust, had drawn up a cleaning rota.

“Tell me the truth,” Mike demanded, leaning on the pole of the mop. “This is because you’re still offended by the snarky comments from that short guy a few weeks ago, right? Why do you care what a prick like him thinks?.”

“It’s nothing to do with him,” Erwin lied. “What if the boss comes back and sees this place as a tip after leaving us in charge?”

Mike snorted. “As if Pyxis would ever bother to show his face at work. He’s off travelling the world and getting drunk. As long as he keeps reeling in the profits, he couldn’t give two shits about this place.”

The door opened, and Levi walked in. “Speak of the devil,” muttered Mike under his breath. His poor opinion of the man probably wasn’t helped by the disdainful look Levi shot him as he walked towards Erwin at the till.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” replied Erwin. It must have been cold outside, as Levi’s cheeks were rosy. “You here for a drink?”

“What else would I be here for?” said Levi, a slightly defensively tone edging into his voice. “Though it all tastes like shit anyway.” Erwin heard Mike snort, and shot him a glance. Mike hastily got back to scrubbing the floor.

“Wait a few minutes,” said Erwin, heading through a door to the small kitchen at the back of the cafe, trusting Mike to deal with any other customers that came through. Heart beating fast, he stared at the kettle he had bought a few days after his conversation with Hange. “Let’s do this.”

A few minutes later, he walked back through the kitchen, steaming cup in hand. His heart fluttered at the sight of Levi still waiting by the counter, looking annoyed at having to wait. “I thought you were in love with customer service -” he said angrily when Erwin reappeared, but stopped talking when he saw the cup in Erwin’s hands. “What’s that?” he asked suspiciously.

“Tea,” said Erwin proudly, passing it to Levi.

“But you don’t serve tea,” said Levi, not comprehending the cup in front of him.

“Secret menu,” said Erwin, trying to project confidence. “For our best customers.”

“I’ve been here twice, how am I one of your best customers?” Levi mumbled, staring down into the cup. He looked almost embarrassed. Erwin bit his lip. Had he overstepped? But Levi raised the mug hesitantly and took a sip, before lowering it. His face was carefully blank, as he said “It’s...good.”

Erwin smiled. He had spent ages looking up the best way to brew tea, having never been a fan of the beverage himself. “I guess you were right - if we serve coffee, then why not tea?”

Levi nodded, taking another slow sip. Erwin noticed that he held the cup in a rather odd manner, not by the handle but by the rim. He didn’t think Levi would much appreciate him commenting on it though.

Levi paid for the drink, then told Erwin he had better get back to the office, as he was heaped under paperwork. Erwin waved him out with a smile and he thought for a second that Levi’s lips began to twitch up at the corners too, but he turned his head away before Erwin could make it out for definite. Though it had been a brief interaction, Erwin felt delighted with his successful adventure into the art of tea-marking. If he was lucky, perhaps Levi would stop by even more often now.

“So,” said Mike, leaning against the mop again and raising an eyebrow. “I was wondering why you had bought that kettle into work. Best customer, eh?” Erwin studiously avoided meeting his eyes, and Mike let out a low chuckle. “Honestly, Erwin. You’re blond, tall, muscular...you could get any man you want, but you get the hots for him?” he complained. “There’s really no accounting for taste.”

***

The leaves continued to fall, dusting the ground outside the cafe in shades of amber and gold. Weeks passed by and stretched into winter, and Erwin fell into a comfortable routine. Maybe two or three times a week, Levi would stop by the cafe. Sometimes he would just get tea, sometimes a bite to eat too. Sometimes he would have to head back to work, sometimes he would sit down at a table. He always went to sit while Erwin was making the tea, so that he would have to bring it over. Erwin wondered if this was deliberate on Levi’s part; they often ended up chatting for a few minutes until Erwin reluctantly had to get on with work.

Mike, though still complaining about Erwin’s taste in men, had taken it upon himself to be Erwin’s wing-man. In Erwin’s opinion this was rather a hindrance than a help. One time he had been taking his break in the staff room, not realising Levi had turned up, and exited to find Mike asking the poor man if he had noticed how much Erwin worked out. Erwin had quickly dashed over and told Mike to go do the washing-up, taking over Levi’s order, but Levi hadn’t been able to meet Erwin’s eyes and left as soon as the tea was ready. Anyone would feel awkward after that conversation, Erwin reckoned, but luckily the next time Levi stopped by, he acted as if he had nothing happened. Though perhaps his gaze did slide to Erwin’s arms a couple of times.

One evening in late November, Mike had had to leave slightly early in order to meet some friends. It was no bother to Erwin, as the coffee shop was pretty empty by then anyway. Once the closing time of ten o’clock had passed, he flipped the ‘welcome’ sign on the door to say ‘closed’, and set about cleaning the tables. Without Mike’s usual rush to finish and get home as soon as possible, Erwin took his time, humming gently to himself as he carried mugs and plates over to the sink to be washed. He had intended to stay late tonight anyway; he didn’t have any classes tomorrow so figured it would be a good time to work on some of the pages regarding the cafe’s finances to send over to Pyxis.

By chance, he happened to glance out of the windows to the street as a man in a dark green jacket passed by. Erwin’s heart leapt up as he recognised the stiff gait. However, the man didn’t enter. After looking at the sign of the door, he stood there for a minute, and then turned away to walk back.

Before he was aware of what he was doing, Erwin was dashing across the cafe and flinging the door open. “Levi!” he called. “Hey!”

Levi turned around again, looking confused. “Hey, Erwin,” he said.

“Where are you going?” said Erwin. “Aren’t you coming in?”

Levi pointed to the sign. “You’re closed, aren’t you? It’s alright, I lost track of time at work.” His breath puffed out, a white cloud hanging in the darkness for a brief second.

“It’s alright, come in and warm up. I’m the only one here anyway.” Erwin realised he was bouncing on the balls of his feet, and stopped immediately, but his fingers started fidgeting instead as he waited for Levi’s answer.

“Alright,” Levi nodded, and Erwin hid a sigh of relief as he held the door open for the shorter man. Levi’s shoulder brushed against him as he passed by. Erwin took a nervous gulp of cold air, before following him in.

“Let’s go through to the back,” he suggested. “Or anyone passing by will think we’re still open.” Levi obediently followed him to the tiny kitchen. There was a table to the side of the room that Levi perched on as Erwin put the kettle on, and Erwin hid a grin at the sight of the other man swinging his legs idly. He really was short. Once the tea was ready, they went through to the staff room. It was small, just a table, some chairs and a cupboard really, but it felt cosy.

“By the way,” Erwin said, “Feel free to take any of the cakes or pastries or whatever is still left out. It’ll have to go in the bin later anyway, so no charge.”

Levi ducked out of the room, and came back with a pretzel, frowning slightly. Erwin wondered if he had said something wrong, but Levi sat down and started eating without complaint. Thinking it would be awkward to just sit there staring at Levi while he ate, much as he might enjoy the sight, Erwin reached over to one of the cupboard drawers, pulled out the top file and a pen, and flipped to the most recent page of finances.

“What’s that?” Levi asked, as Erwin started jotting numbers down, running quick calculations in his head.

“Notes for my boss,” he answered. “How much we’re spending and on what, how much we’re bringing in, bills, everything really.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t your boss be working that out himself? You’re just a part-timer after all.”

Erwin shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

“Not many college students would happily do their bosses work for them,” said Levi, in an evaluating tone. “What is it that you study, anyway?”

“Business and management,” said Erwin, looking up from the papers. “I like leading people, in a team.”

“You certainly seem good at telling Mike what to do,” said Levi, teasingly. Erwin laughed.

“Actually, one day I’d like to start my own coffee shop. Or, a tea and coffee shop,” he corrected himself. A smile tugged at Levi’s lips, his grey eyes focused down on his mug. “That’s why I don’t mind doing so much for Pyxis round here, it’s good experience.” He felt nervous telling Levi about this stuff. He hadn’t even told Mike about his dream. He wasn’t exactly sure what Levi did, but he knew he was involved in some fancy corporate office. To him, opening a coffee shop probably seemed a pretty twee ambition. “What’s your job like?” he mustered up the courage to ask.

Levi sighed moodily. “Tch. It’s a crappy desk job in analytics. Hange got scouted by the company when they were in college and knew I needed a job so helped me along. At least it pays well, but it doesn’t interest me at all.”

“Well, if you’re not a fan of that, what do you want to do in the future?” Erwin asked. To his surprise, Levi actually blushed.

“It’s stupid,” he muttered.

“I won’t judge,” said Erwin, trying to give an encouraging smile. Levi looked up through his eyelashes at him, amd Erwin tried to calm his beating heart. There was only this small table between them, and they had never been alone like this. He desperately hoped Levi couldn’t read any of his thoughts on his face.

“Dammit. You would make a good leader, there’s just something about you that makes me want to tell you anything you ask,” Levi muttered, and Erwin’s heart which he had seconds before been controlling back to a steady pace leapt up in jitters again. Levi rested his head in one of his hands, tilted at an angle. “I’d like to do something in social work, with kids or teenagers,” he mused. “I didn’t come from a great place. And I know what it feels like to struggle.” He looked at Erwin hesitantly, perhaps wondering if he had overshared, but Erwin nodded for him to go on and listened silently. “I fought like hell to survive, but without friends like Hange, I might have gone in a bad direction. If I can help these kids like people helped me, I think I could make a difference to their lives. Or at least try to.” He winced. “See, it’s stupid. I have a decent, well-paying job, and I’d throw it away for something like that which everybody knows pays jackshit.”

“Life is about more than money,” argued Erwin, leaning forward. “If helping others will give you purpose, then you should absolutely go for it.”

“Really?” said Levi, in surprise. “I mean, who would want me to help with their problems? I’m not exactly the most approachable guy. Admit it, you hated me when we met.”

Erwin shrugged. “Hate is a strong word. You were certainly annoying, but it was only a couple of times after that until - well - nevermind,” he finished weakly.

“Until what?” Levi said, smiling.

“Nothing,” said Erwin, embarrassed. He was sure Levi could see his feelings all over his face. “But I think you could definitely do it, social work that is. If you wanted to.”

Levi nodded slowly. “Well, now that you’ve said that, I’ll give it some serious thought.” He looked up suddenly, his eyes intense. “On that kind of subject, could I make a suggestion?”

“Sure,” said Erwin, taken aback. “Go ahead.”

“You said all the leftover food gets chucked away,” said Levi. “But there’s a lot left out there...it made me think, people could use that. Instead of throwing it away. I know some local shelters and food banks, or whatever. But it's up to you.” Erwin could feel the nervous energy coming from Levi as he awaited a response. Erwin didn’t ask about how Levi knew these places, but his heart hurt to think of Levi going through any time of want.

“Yeah, of course!” he said. “Wow, I feel shitty for never thinking of that...Back when Pyxis used to be around on my shifts, he always used to just toss it and I never thought to do otherwise...Can you show me where these places are?”

Together, they packed some of the food into a couple of boxes that had come with delivery. Luckily the coffee shop served some healthier snacks as well as just sugar highs, Erwin thought, or the shelters probably would not have been too pleased. He was sure some of the things not made at the shop but still sold there, like boxed sandwiches would be well received too. They each picked up a box and left the cafe, Erwin locking the door behind him. Walking down the street with Levi at his side felt weird. They had never actually spent any time together outside of the coffee shop before, and Erwin felt slightly out of his depth without the natural barrier of customer and employee between them.

“I don’t know how you can be outside without a coat,” complained Levi. “It’s freezing, and you’re walking around in that stupid jumper without a care in the world.”

Erwin looked at Levi, who indeed seemed to be shivering despite his jacket. “Wait - what’s so stupid about this jumper?”

Levi turned his face away. “It’s too tight,” he eventually muttered. Erwin looked down, concerned. Perhaps Levi thought this was inappropriate wear while at work? It hugged his defined physique closely but Erwin didn’t think it particularly revealing.

“Should I not wear this to work?” he asked anxiously. “Is it too casual?”

Levi finally looked over to him, and Erwin thought he really must be cold with that scarlet flush on his cheeks. “Don’t worry about it, Erwin,” he brushed it off. “It’s not what you’re thinking. I’m sure the customers are more than happy to see you in it.”

Erwin still didn’t understand what Levi was saying, but they had arrived at one of the shelters. They handed the boxes to a volunteer, and Levi waved to a few people he seemed to know. When they walked back onto the street, there was an awkward pause.

“I’m this way,” said Erwin, pointing down the street.

“Ah, I’m back the other way,” said Levi, jerking his head in the direction they had come from. “See you then, I guess.”

“Yeah, have a good night,” said Erwin. “And, Levi? If you ever want to stop by the shop after hours, it’s fine. It was nice having you there.” He half expected Levi to tell him it was just a one time thing, that it would be weird to hang out with Erwin at work, that he should get a life. But Levi said none of that. He gave Erwin the rarest, brilliant smile, eyes twinkling, and waved him goodbye as he walked away without saying anything. Erwin blinked, feeling dazzled. He wasn’t sure if that was an acceptance of his offer but it certainly wasn’t a rejection. He stood dumb for a few minutes, watching Levi’s retreating form, then turned to walk home.

***

It turned out that Levi’s smile had been an acceptance of Erwin’s offer. He turned up shortly after ten again a couple of days later, knocking on the door. Mike, who Erwin hadn’t informed of the last late visit, had tripped over a chair at the sight of Levi’s pale face by the window. “Jeez, I thought you were a ghost,” he said angrily, as Erwin opened the door for Levi. 

As usual, Levi just shot him a derisive look, causing Mike to huff. “Look, Erwin’s not the only one who works here, alright? This little meetup of yours is technically against company policy so you should be nicer -”

“I’ll give you everything in the tip jar if you shut up,” Erwin had hissed in his ear, and Mike hastily stopped talking. He gave Erwin and Levi a sarcastic bow.

“I’ll leave you to it,” he said as they went into the kitchen, and despite his little outburst Erwin knew Mike wouldn’t say a word to Pyxis. He and Levi acted like they hated each other, but Erwin had caught him giving Levi the employee discount on his order the other day and Levi slipping him an extra tip anyway. Whenever Levi entered the shop and Mike noticed before Erwin, he would always give him a sharp dig in the ribs and take over whatever Erwin was occupied with so he could speak to Levi. Perhaps he wasn’t that bad of a wingman after all, Erwin considered.

Mike’s eagerness for Levi and Erwin to get together certainly proved useful in the next few weeks as they continued the evening tea breaks. Levi was stopping by the cafe nearly every day that Erwin was working now, alternating between coming in usual hours and after they had closed. Erwin usually brought some work for college to do whilst they sat in the staff room together, but more often that not it lay forgotten as they got lost in conversation.  
Afterwards they would pack up whatever food was left over and drop it off to a nearby food bank or shelter. Sometimes Mike accompanied them, and though it was surprisingly fun to hang out with the both of them, Erwin enjoyed his time alone with Levi the best.

One evening, they were chatting in the staff room as usual, this time about what Erwin intended to do after college. Erwin firmly believed in his strategic five year plan he had laid out for starting up his own cafe, but also had several backup routes if something went wrong along the way. “You know, most college students have no idea what they’re going to do afterwards,” joked Levi. “You can afford to chill out a bit, Erwin.”

Erwin waved him off. “Why waste time? I know what I want to achieve and how I want to achieve it.”

Levi nodded. “Well, it’s good to have drive. And if anyone can do it, it’s you Erwin.”

He flushed at the rare praise, and it encouraged him on to suggest to Levi what had been on his mind for a while. “I had an idea, for when I open my tea and coffee shop.It’s just an idea, and you might hate it -”

Levi waved a hand in annoyance. “Tch, just tell me what’s on your mind, Erwin.”

“I was thinking, once everything is up and running, once or twice a week we could hold some kind of open morning where people who need it can come and eat for free and have somewhere warm to stop by. We could put out flyers or something, I don’t know...and if you were in social work by then you could be there too, as someone to give advice or as a friendly ear...I don’t know,” he finished lamely.

Levi was looking down at his tea and didn’t meet Erwin’s eyes. “Your plan is to open the tea and coffee shop in five years, right? And you’ve already planned for me in that future?”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. His heart fell to the floor. “I’m sorry, it was stupid, it’s too presumptuous of me -” Erwin began, but Levi cut him off with a wave again.

“If you’re serious about this ‘tea and coffee shop’, I think I need to tell you something,” he said. His eyes lifted to meet Erwin’s.

“Yes?” said Erwin breathlessly.

“You’re tea is shit,” replied Levi bluntly. “You’ll never be able to sell this.”

“Wait - I - wait, what?”

“The tea you make is disgusting,” Levi continued. “You let it steep for all of ten seconds and then you drown it in milk. It barely tastes of tea at all, just weird milky water. Bleugh.”

“Then why do you come by and drink it every day?” said Erwin, his voice raising indignantly.

“Man, Erwin, are you really going to make me say it?” Levi said, eyes averted again. “I don’t come here for the tea, idiot. I thought you’d worked that out by now.”

“What do you come here for, then?” Erwin asked, his voice turning low and husky.

Levi sat in silence for a few moments, then forced out three words, “You, of course.”

Before he knew what he was doing, Erwin leant across the table and grabbed the collar of Levi’s hoodie, pulling him in so their faces were bare centimeters apart. He paused for a second, feeling the heat of Levi’s breath caress his skin as the other man stared at him with a wild desperation in his grey eyes. Then their lips clashed together, a yearning desire overwhelming the both of them. When Levi opened his mouth to let Erwin in, he could taste the lingering sweetness of the tea on his tongue. Erwin’s heart beat unrestrainedly as Levi reached up and cupped Erwin’s face in both hands, tugging him as close as possible as they got lost in the kiss.

Finally, they broke apart, both gasping for air. Erwin slumped down back into his chair, stunned. Levi stared back at him, lips red and swollen. An uncommon smile spread across his face, lighting up it’s features. “You’re beautiful when you blush Erwin,” he laughed, as Erwin self-consciously lifted a hand to feel the heat in his cheeks. “Shit, you’re beautiful all the time. I was never certain enough you felt the same as me to tell you before, but that kiss…” He shook his head in disbelief. Erwin let his own smile spread across his face as Levi’s unusual outburst.

“And what you were saying earlier, about hosting those open mornings at your cafe...I think it’s a great idea,” he continued, more quietly.

“Well, if there’s any point in opening a cafe now I know I can’t even make simple drinks,” Erwin rolled his eyes, jokingly.

Levi shook his head. “Hange says your coffee is top standard, so it’s just the tea you need to work on. And you’ve got five years, right? Just ask Mike to show you, he’s good at it.”

“When does Mike make you tea?” Erwin asked, slightly jealous. Whenever Levi came to the shop, it was Erwin who made his drink.

“On the days you’re not here,” Levi told him.

Erwin huffed. “He never told me you stopped by on my days off!”

Levi’s cheeks went red. “I asked him not to tell you. He gave me some tips on how to approach you, though I was too wary to put many of them into action.”

So Mike had been aware that Levi liked Erwin back this whole time! That sly man, Erwin shook his head. He really appreciated Mike trying to help get the pair of them together though. Perhaps he would give him a month off the cleaning rota as thanks.

“Look, we’re both young,” said Levi. “You’re still in college. Five years is a long time and I won’t hold you to your idea for the cafe if things change between us during that time. But...if we give this a try, and five years down the line things are going well for us, of course. I’ll definitely take you up on your offer.”

Erwin smiled softly. He understood Levi’s cautiousness, but he had never felt a connection like this before. They could make it last, he was sure of it.

“Here’s hoping for many more late nights and better cups of tea,” he whispered.

“And hopefully some kisses thrown in besides,” Levi mumbled, and Erwin leaned in to him once more, a contented smile on his face as they lost themselves in each other again.

***

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is actually the first fanfic I've written in a couple of years and I really enjoyed coming back to it. I hope you guys liked reading it! - Grace


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